Physical fitness of a subject is a general state of health and well-being and, more specifically the ability to perform aspects of sports, exercise, or other routine physical activities. Fitness is generally achieved through correct nutrition, moderate to vigorous physical activity or exercise, and rest. It is a set of attributes or characteristics seen in people and which relate to the ability to perform a given set of physical activities. Earlier, fitness was linked to the capacity to carry out the day's activities without undue fatigue. However with changes in lifestyle physical fitness is now considered a measure of the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist diseases due to sedentary lifestyle, and to meet emergency situations. When fitness is linked to sports activities, it has five common elements—strength, speed, endurance, flexibility, and skill. The relative contributions of each of these to the specific fitness demands of different sports are, of course, not equal. To a certain extent skill can compensate for poor fitness, but improved fitness allows skillful sportspersons to extend their performance by delaying the onset of fatigue and thus, endurance plays important role in determining a subject's fitness.
Fitness for exercise or sports related activities can be of two types, cardiovascular and cardio-respiratory. Cardiovascular fitness is the ability of the heart and lungs to supply oxygen-rich blood to the working muscle tissues and the ability of the muscles to use oxygen to produce energy for movement. Cardio-respiratory fitness refers to the ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to supply oxygen to skeletal muscles during sustained physical activity. Thus, cardio-respiratory fitness can be linked to endurance of a subject during prolonged exercise during sports, or physical activities.
A person's ability to deliver oxygen to the working muscles is affected by many physiological parameters, including heart rate, stroke volume, cardiac output, and maximal oxygen consumption. Regular exercise improves the respiratory system by increasing the amount of oxygen that is inhaled and distributed to body tissue. Cardio-respiratory fitness can reduce the risk of heart disease, lung cancer, type 2 diabetes, and stroke, and can help to improve lung and heart condition, and can increase overall wellbeing.
Although different types of aerobic and anaerobic exercises help to enhance cardio-respiratory fitness, a balanced diet, based on essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals can enhance exercise capacity and endurance. Carotenoids such as betacryptoxanthin [BCX], which are considered a provitamin A, are known for their effects as an antioxidant and also in the treatment of inflammatory arthritis. It is present in many fruits and vegetables. BCX is a carotene and helps protect cells from free radical damage. By protecting cells from free radicals and by reducing free radical activities, it may prevent many dangerous diseases and conditions. Many references deal with different health applications of betacryptoxanthin in humans and animals.
U.S. patent application publication 20120245122A1 relates to a method for improving bone health in a subject comprising administering to the subject a carotenoid blend comprising lycopene, beta-carotene, betacryptoxanthin and combinations thereof.
PCT application WO2008023283A2 describes an esterified xanthophyll composition comprising cryptoxanthin and a method of treating breast, colon, lung, skin, cervix and ovaries cancers, as well as for treatment of cardiovascular disease, prevention of cataract and macular degeneration, as agent for the absorption of harmful ultra-violet light from the rays of the sun and quencher of photo-induced free radical and reactive oxygen species.
European patent application EP1748705 describes the use of betacryptoxanthin in the manufacture of a composition for promoting an increased protein formation and/or prevention of protein loss in human or an animal, wherein the composition is for promoting an increased protein formation in sports and workout activities.
U.S. patent application publication US20120107380 describes a method for producing a xanthophyll-enriched product from a xanthophyll ester source, wherein the xanthophyll ester is selected from zeaxanthin, lutein, beta-cryptoxanthin, astaxanthin, capsanthin, capsorubin, and mixtures thereof. This xanthophyll-enriched product is micro-encapsulated as a nutritional supplement and used for the treatment or the prevention of human or animal diseases including cancer-related diseases, cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory disorders.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,021,698B2 describes a nutritional supplement including betacryptoxanthin which is used to maintain cardiovascular health by lowering blood pressure, preventing high, elevated blood pressure and/or maintaining healthy blood pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,863,241 describes a liquid or aerosolized composition comprising a lung surfactant polypeptide, a protease inhibitor and anti-oxidants in combination with carotenoid compounds such as leutein, zeaxanthin, cryptoxanthin, violaxanthin, carotene diol, hydroxycarotene, hydroxylycopene, alloxanthin and dehydrocryptoxanthin, for treating pulmonary conditions and or reducing the negative effects of pulmonary inflammation.
Liu C et al (Cancer Prev Res, 2011 August; 4(8):1255-66) relates to evaluation of effects of betacryptoxanthin supplementation on cigarette smoke-induced squamous metaplasia, inflammation, and changes in protein levels of proinflammatory cytokine (e.g. tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)) and transcription factors (e.g. nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and activator protein-1 (AP-1)), as well as on smoke-induced oxidative DNA damage (e.g. 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG)) in the lung tissue of ferrets. Betacryptoxanthin significantly decreased smoke-induced lung squamous metaplasia and inflammation. BCX also substantially reduced smoke-elevated TNFα levels in alveolar, bronchial, bronchiolar, and bronchial serous/mucous gland epithelial cells and in lung macrophages.
A study by Wang Xiang (NIH 2014 R21 CA) suggested that increased dietary intake or higher blood levels of betacryptoxanthin (BCX) is strongly associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer in current smokers. It was hypothesized that BCX targets silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog) 1 (SIRT1) signaling pathway as its chemopreventive action. Importantly, BCX treatment restored nicotine-reduced lung SIRT1 protein to normal levels and inhibited both nicotine-induced emphysema and nicotine-promoted lung tumor development.
Iskandar A R et al (2013 April; 6(4):309-20) describes the effect of BCX as a preventive agent against emphysema and lung cancer with SIRT1 as a potential target.